Cheryll LeMay receives Distinguished Service Award; Peter McGaw and George Smith named Outstanding Task Force Co-Chairs
CONCORD, CA, June 19, 2012—The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 302, has received the 2012 Contra Costa Medal Award, the highest award of the Contra Costa Council, in recognition of the union local’s outstanding service to the community and the Council. IBEW, Local 302, was honored for its exemplary three-year sound and communication apprenticeship and five-year electrician apprenticeship; its partnership with the Contra Costa Economic Partnership’s STEM Workforce Initiative; and its involvement since 2009 in a Project Lead The Way engineering curriculum expansion in area high schools, community colleges and universities.
“We appreciate this award, which exemplifies our unique and close relationship with business and education in Contra Costa County,” said Hershel "Bart" Barton, Local 302 business manager, who accepted the award, along with assistant business manager Tom Hansen, at the recent Council dinner.
Also honored were Cheryll LeMay, Diablo Valley College Counseling Department chair, who received the Distinguished Service Award, a tribute to her long service to the Council and her passion for education. A former Council chair (2009-2010) and co-chair of the Education Task Force, LeMay has made a difference in the lives of many young people through her guidance and inspiration; she has served in several leadership roles at the Community College District and at Diablo Valley College.
Peter McGaw, of counsel with Archer Norris, Walnut Creek, and George Smith, founder and president of GBR Smith Group, Walnut Creek, were named Outstanding Task Force Co-Chairs for their role in leading the Environmental/Manufacturing Task Force, one of the most important task forces for the Council, tackling regulatory issues before little-known regional agencies, whose decisions have enormous impact on our economy and the ability of businesses to be successful. Their leadership has helped strike the balance between protecting the environment and avoiding unnecessary regulatory burdens that are not based on sound science and have a negative cost/benefit ratio. Smith chaired the Council in 2010-2011; McGaw is also a past chair and serves as chief legal counsel.
AAA Insurance’s Bob Brown succeeds David Bowlby of The Bowlby Group as chair of the region’s premier business advocacy organization
Bob Brown, director, public affairs, AAA Insurance, was installed as 2012-2013 Council chair, beginning in July. Outgoing chair is David Bowlby, CEO of The Bowlby Group. Other incoming executive officers include Terry Bowen of Gray-Bowen, chair-elect of the board; Andrew Sabey of Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, and Judith Millard of Brown and Caldwell, VPs task forces; Keith Archuleta of Emerald HPC International, VP finance; Jim Brandt of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, VP membership services; Ron Wetter of Kaiser Permanente, VP communications; Peter McGaw of Archer Norris, chief legal counsel; and David Bowlby of The Bowlby Group, immediate past chair.
In addition, the Council honored five student winners in the recent Contra Costa Science and Engineering Fair, who also took honors in state and international science fairs. They included Eric Sauer, 11th grader at Monte Vista High School, Danville; Raymond Zhu, 12th grader at Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon; Aryo Sorayya, 11th grader at Monte Vista High School, San Ramon; Chad Wakamiya, 8th grader at Pine Valley Middle School, San Ramon; and Dhuvarakesh Karthikeyan, 8th grader at Iron Horse Middle School, San Ramon. Students displayed and presented their science project findings to dinner guests. For more information, see http://www.cccsef.org/.
Evening sponsors were Chevron, GenOn, IBEW-Local 302, John Muir Health, Kaiser Permanente and Shell Martinez Refinery.
About the Contra Costa Council: The Council is a private sector, public policy organization with a membership that includes business, government, education and labor. The mission of the Council is to provide advocacy on public policy issues affecting the economic vitality and quality of life in Contra Costa County and the region. For more information, see www.contracostacouncil.com.
